Mu En could tell that the man before him was simple and straightforward, but also Dumbledore's most steadfast supporter.
Of course, he did not mean that as an insult.
Getting along with someone like that was quite nice.
Far better than that old man Dumbledore, who had wanted to test him with Legilimency the moment they met!
"All right, come in and sit down." Mu En said casually, "Harry, bring a chair for our guest."
"Okay." Harry finally pulled his hand out of the cloth bundle.
That giant's sudden outburst had given him quite a fright. He had almost drawn his sword.
Hagrid was incredibly tall, nearly brushing the ceiling. Harry went upstairs and found a sturdy little stool, figuring that no other chair could bear Hagrid's massive body.
The moment Hagrid entered, he noticed Lucifer.
"Oh, heavens, what kind of little fellow is this?!" Hagrid asked in astonishment.
"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you looking at me like that?!" Lucifer pressed himself against the fireplace.
He was not afraid of bad people, but he was afraid of perverts.
"Merlin's beard! He can talk!" Hagrid was even more astonished.
"Sorry, but please do not look at my friend that way," Mu En said helplessly.
"Friend?!" Hagrid immediately caught Mu En's choice of words.
Just as Hagrid had not known Lucifer earlier yet had still referred to him as "he" rather than "it."
Now that he heard Mu En call Lucifer a "friend," Hagrid instantly felt more favorably toward him.
Most wizards were arrogant. Very few would befriend Magical Creatures.
Scamander was one. Hagrid was another.
And now, in Hagrid's eyes, Mu En was one too.
By then, Harry had brought the chair downstairs. The moment Hagrid saw him, he left Lucifer alone. Taking the stool, he said happily, "Last time I saw you, you were just a tiny little thing. You look just like your dad. Your eyes are just like your mum's."
"Thank you." Harry returned the smile, though he found being called a tiny little thing rather hard to take.
"Oh, right, this!" Hagrid suddenly said, pulling a slightly squashed box from the inner pocket of his enormous black coat and handing it to Harry.
Harry opened the box with trembling hands and found a gooey chocolate cake inside. Written on it in green icing were the words: Happy Birthday Harry.
Harry was stunned. This was the second time he had felt that someone cared about him.
And it was from someone he had only known for ten minutes. It... did not feel real.
"Thank you, Hagrid," Harry said solemnly.
"Don't call me mister. Hagrid's fine." Hagrid smiled carelessly. "I came specially to pick you up on your birthday.
"You have no idea how many Hogwarts professors wanted to come get you. Everyone wanted to know how you were doing.
"But as you can see.
"In the end, I! Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, got the chance."
Even Harry could tell that Hagrid was happy, and just a little proud, to have been assigned this task by Dumbledore.
"Thank you for caring about me." Harry straightened up. "So, are we going to Diagon Alley now?"
Hagrid nodded. "Oh, it seems you and this..."
Halfway through, he turned to look at Mu En.
"My name is Mu En Jones."
"Seems you and Mr. Jones have already been to Diagon Alley," Hagrid said. "But Dumbledore told me you have another friend, right? A Young Wizard starting school this year too. He told me to bring both of you along."
"Oh, Hermione. We agreed to go to Diagon Alley together. Are we leaving now?" Harry asked eagerly.
Just as every child looked forward to trips to the supermarket, Harry eagerly anticipated every trip to Diagon Alley.
"Of course. But the cake..."
"We can put it in the refrigerator," Harry said.
"What's a refrigerator... All right, let's get going. Do you have anything you need to bring?" Hagrid readily agreed.
"Wait!!" ×2
As he spoke, Hagrid watched Harry hurry upstairs, with Mu En following right behind him.
Ten minutes later, Hagrid understood what they had gone upstairs for.
Looking at the neatly dressed Harry, Hagrid smiled in satisfaction. "Very handsome. Just like your dad."
Mu En lifted Harry's hat slightly, revealing the lightning-shaped scar. "Don't hide it. You can't hide it forever. It's time for you to enter the Wizarding World."
Harry looked miserable and somewhat helpless. "All right."
After all, it was not as if he could just change his name.
"Then let's go." As he spoke, Mu En placed his hands on Harry and Hagrid's shoulders.
Bang—
For a moment, the air churned so violently that it produced an explosion-like boom, and the blast wave sent Lucifer swaying from side to side.
"That big guy... he's terrifying." Lucifer muttered fearfully.
The Leaky Cauldron, courtyard.
After a loud bang, a group of five appeared in the cramped courtyard. The instant Mu En appeared, he pounded his chest and coughed several times.
He swore that teleporting ten normal people would not have been as exhausting as teleporting one Hagrid.
That fellow's magical resistance was absurdly high. He was a spellcaster himself, and he weighed as much as three or four normal adult men.
A Half-giant...
Mu En muttered to himself. Luckily, he was not particularly clever... If he had possessed advanced spellcasting ability, Mu En did not even dare imagine how powerful Hagrid would be.
After taking a couple of breaths, Mu En recovered. He lightly tapped the brick wall with his wand, and Diagon Alley appeared before them.
Hermione and Harry eagerly entered the alley first.
Hagrid followed closely behind.
Only Mu En and Chris remained at the back.
"Want to grab a coffee later? I can't stop thinking about the coffee at that café with its unique magic," Chris suggested.
"Good idea." Mu En nodded as well.
This was far from Chris's first time here. He knew the place well and was not too worried about the two children.
But before that, they needed to visit Gringotts.
Those goblins offered a special exchange rate from Pounds Sterling to Galleons for students. Hermione Granger and Harry, both short on Galleons, could not afford to miss it.
Harry was a little worried. His little stash of money was running low. Since Christmas, because of graduation season and learning magic, he had barely earned any extra money.
"Uncle Mu En, can I bring the things from the study to Hogwarts to use?" Harry asked tentatively, a little embarrassed.
Mu En smacked him on the head. "You brat, bringing those things won't save you much money.
"Just buy what you need. I'll make up whatever you're short on."
If they could, no child would refuse to use new stationery and books at school.
Besides, a few Galleons truly meant nothing to Mu En.
Hagrid had heard Harry's question too. He first gave Mu En an approving smile, then said, "Harry, don't worry. James and Lily left behind a huge inheritance."
Harry was instantly shocked. Staring at Hagrid, he said, "W-what?! Wait... Hagrid, are you saying... I have a lot of money?!"
"Of course. Your grandfather increased the family fortune fourfold with his exclusive Slick Hair Potion, along with hair oil, wax, and other products. James never even worked a single day in his life," Hagrid explained.
"Fourfold?!" Even Mu En was a little surprised.
"Was that hair potion really that good?"
Before you continue